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The City Mayor of Manila ( fil, Punong Lungsod ng Maynila, sometimes referred to as, ''Alkalde ng Maynila'') is the head of the executive branch of
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
's city government. The mayor holds office at
Manila City Hall The Manila City Hall ( fil, Bulwagan ng Lungsod ng Maynila) is the official seat of government of the City of Manila, located in the historic center of Ermita, Manila. It is where the Mayor of Manila holds office and the chambers of the Manil ...
. Like all local government heads in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, the mayor is elected via
popular vote Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...
, and may not be elected for a fourth consecutive term (although the former mayor may return to office after an interval of one term). In case of death, resignation or incapacity, the vice mayor becomes the mayor.


History

Prior to the arrival of Miguel López de Legazpi, Manila was a chiefdom headed by
datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...
s. From the defeat of
Rajah Sulayman Rajah Sulayman, sometimes referred to as Sulayman III (Sanskrit: स्ललैअह्, Arabic: سليمان, Abecedario: ''Suláimán'') (1558–1575), was the Rajah of Maynila, a fortified Tagalog Muslim polity on the southern half of the ...
's forces in 1575 to the passage of the
Maura Law Maura Law may refer to two different decrees named after Don Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister of Colonies at the time. The first decree, The Royal Decree of May 19, 1893, was a law that laid the basic foundations for municipal government in the ...
in 1895, the chief executive of the city was appointed by the Spanish government to a person of Spanish descent. The highest position a Filipino was able to hold was the ''
cabeza de barangay A ''cabeza de barangay'' (literally "head of hebarangay), also known as ''teniente del barrio'', was the leader or chief of a barangay or barrio in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.Scott, William Henry. ''Barangay Sixteenth-Cen ...
''. With the passage of the Maura Law, the office of ''capitan municipal'' was established, with the people electing their own town heads, although the Spanish retained considerable influence and could veto decisions. With the eruption of the Philippine Revolution and the
Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...
, the position reverted to an appointive head. With the advent of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
,
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Manuel L. Quezon Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his de ...
appointed
Jorge B. Vargas Jorge Bartolomé Vargas y Celis (August 24, 1890 – February 22, 1980) was a Filipino lawyer, diplomat and youth advocate born in Bago, Negros Occidental, Philippines. He graduated valedictorian from Negros Occidental High School in 1909 and ...
as mayor of the
City of Greater Manila The City of Greater Manila, also known simply as Greater Manila and sometimes Greater Manila Area (GMA), was a chartered city which existed during the World War II era. It was governed by the Commonwealth of the Philippines and was dissolved by ...
(forerunner of
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
) in 1941. With the
liberation of Manila The Battle of Manila ( fil, Labanan sa Maynila; ja, マニラの戦い; es, Batalla de Manila; ) was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and ...
in 1945 by combined Filipino and American soldiers under the United States Army and the Philippine Commonwealth Army including local recognized guerrillas against the Japanese Imperial forces, the earlier setup was used once again. With the amendment of the city's charter in 1951, the position became an elective post. The first mayoral election was in 1951, and Manila's congressman from the 2nd district
Arsenio Lacson Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. (December 26, 1912 – April 15, 1962) was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by '' Time'' and '' The New Yor ...
defeated incumbent Manuel de la Fuente. A few years after the declaration of martial law by President
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
,
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
and nearby cities like
Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
,
Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan ( fil, Lungsod ng Caloocan; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most ...
, and
Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...
, were overshadowed by the office of the governor of the newly created
Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
, whom Marcos appointed his wife,
Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...
, to the position. With
Arsenio Lacson Arsenio Hilario Sison Lacson Sr. (December 26, 1912 – April 15, 1962) was a Filipino journalist and politician who gained widespread attention as mayor of Manila from 1952 to 1962. An active executive likened by '' Time'' and '' The New Yor ...
becoming the first elected mayor, the city of Manila underwent ''The Golden Age'', was revitalized, and once again became the "Pearl of the Orient", a moniker it earned before the outbreak of the war. After Mayor Lacson's term in the 1950s, the city was led by Mayor
Antonio Villegas Antonio de Jesus Villegas (January 9, 1928 – November 16, 1984) was a Filipino mayor of Manila from 1962 to 1971. His term was after the term of Arsenio Lacson as mayor of Manila, and before the period of martial law in the Philippines. Poli ...
during most of the 1960s, and Mayor
Ramon Bagatsing Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing (August 19, 1916 – February 14, 2006) was a Filipino politician. He was the only Filipino of Indian ancestry and person with disability (as an amputee) to serve as Mayor of the City of Manila from 1971 to 1986. Baga ...
for nearly the entire decade of the 1970s until the 1986
People Power Revolution The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
that overthrew President Marcos. Mayors Lacson, Villegas, and Bagatsing are often collectively considered as "the Big Three of Manila" for their rather long tenures as the city hall's chief executive (continuously for over three decades, from 1952–1986), but more importantly, for their indelible contribution to the development and progress of the city and their lasting legacy in uplifting the quality of life and welfare of the people of Manila. With the ouster of Marcos following the People Power Revolution, President
Corazon Aquino Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (; ; January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009) was a Filipina politician who served as the 11th president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. She was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People P ...
vacated all local executive officials and appointed officers in charge (OICs) in their place; she appointed party-mate
Mel Lopez Gemiliano "Mel" Campos Lopez Jr. (September 1, 1935 – January 1, 2017) was a Filipino politician who served as the Mayor of Manila from 1986 to 1987 and 1988 to 1992 and an assemblyman of the Batasang Pambansa of the Philippines from 1984 to 1 ...
as OIC of Manila. Local elections were held in 1988, and Lopez was elected as mayor. The
Local Government Code Codification of laws is a common practice in the Philippines. Many general areas of substantive law, such as criminal law, civil law and labor law are governed by legal codes. Tradition of codification Codification is predominant in countr ...
was enacted in 1991, and standardized the powers of Manila's mayor making it at par with other cities in the country. The office of the mayor is often used as a springboard for further political ambitions. In 1961, Lacson bolted the
Nacionalista Party The Nacionalista Party (Filipino and Spanish: ''Partido Nacionalista''; ) is the oldest political party in both the Philippines and in Southeast Asia in general. It is responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th ce ...
to become the campaign manager of the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
's Diosdado Macapagal's presidential campaign. After Macapagal's victory, Lacson returned with the Nacionalistas and became a critic of the Macapagal administration. Lacson would've been likely the Nacionalista's candidate for the presidency in 1965, had not death intervened in 1962. In 1998, the sitting mayor of Manila,
Alfredo Lim Alfredo "Fred" Siojo Lim Jr.. (; December 21, 1929 – August 8, 2020) was a Filipino politician and police officer who served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2004 to 2007. He also served as the Mayor of Manila twice: first from 1992 to ...
, did run as the Liberal Party's candidate for the presidency, but was beaten by
Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
, finishing fifth in a field of ten candidates, garnering 9% of the vote; Estrada later nominated him as
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government The secretary of the interior and local government (Filipino: ''Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal'') is the member of the Cabinet in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. The current secretary is Benjamin Abalos J ...
. Lim later ran and won a Senate seat in 2001, but forfeited it three years when he ran and won as mayor again. Estrada, who was previously the mayor of bordering San Juan, defeated Lim as mayor of Manila in 2013. Their vice mayor,
Isko Moreno Francisco Moreno Domagoso (born October 24, 1974), popularly known by his stage name Isko Moreno or Isko Moreno Domagoso (), is a Filipino politician and actor who previously served as the 27th mayor of Manila from 2019 to 2022. Before headi ...
, ran for the Senate and lost in 2016. Moreno defeated both Estrada and Lim in 2019. In 2021, Moreno announced his candidacy for president in the 2022 presidential election. Days later, Moreno's opponent
Manny Pacquiao Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
chose former mayor
Lito Atienza Jose "Lito" Livioko Atienza Jr. (; born August 10, 1941) is a Filipino politician. He served as a Party-list Representative for Buhay from 2013 to 2022, and was a House Deputy Speaker from 2020 to 2022. He served as the Secretary of Environment ...
as his running mate for vice president. The longest-serving mayor of Manila is
Ramon Bagatsing Ramon Delaraga Bagatsing (August 19, 1916 – February 14, 2006) was a Filipino politician. He was the only Filipino of Indian ancestry and person with disability (as an amputee) to serve as Mayor of the City of Manila from 1971 to 1986. Baga ...
, who continuously served as the city's chief executive from 1971 until 1986. His tenure could have been longer if his term was not disrupted by the forced resignation of all local government unit heads and the appointment of officers in charge in their place after the 1986 revolution, to which Bagatsing fully supported and complied with, voluntarily handing over his position to OIC Mel Lopez.


List


Elections

* 1951 Manila mayoral election * 1955 Manila mayoral election * 1959 Manila mayoral election * 1963 Manila mayoral election * 1967 Manila mayoral election * 1971 Manila mayoral election * 1980 Manila mayoral election * 1988 Manila local elections * 1992 Manila local elections * 1995 Manila local elections * 1998 Manila local elections * 2001 Manila local elections * 2004 Manila local elections * 2007 Manila local elections * 2010 Manila local elections * 2013 Manila local elections *
2016 Manila local elections Local elections were held in Manila on May 9, 2016, as a part of the 2016 Philippine general election. Voters elected candidates for Mayor of Manila, mayor, vice mayor, six House of Representatives of the Philippines, congressmen, and the 36 counc ...
* 2019 Manila local elections *
2022 Manila local elections Local elections were held at Manila on May 9, 2022, as part of the Philippine general election. Held concurrently with the national elections, the electorate voted to elect a mayor, a vice mayor, thirty-six city council members and six district ...
* 2025 Manila local elections


Vice mayor

The vice mayor is the second-highest official of the city. The vice mayor is elected via popular vote; although most mayoral candidates have
running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint Ticket (election), ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate ...
s, the vice mayor is elected separately from the mayor. This can result in the mayor and the vice mayor coming from different political parties. The vice mayor is the presiding officer of the
Manila City Council The Manila City Council ( Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from Manila's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila ...
, although they can only vote as the tiebreaker. When a mayor is removed from office, the vice mayor becomes the mayor until the scheduled next election.


See also

*
Gobernadorcillo The ''gobernadorcillo'' (, literally "little governor") was a municipal judge or governor in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, who carried out in a town the combined charges or responsibilities of leadership, economic, and jud ...
*
Cabeza de Barangay A ''cabeza de barangay'' (literally "head of hebarangay), also known as ''teniente del barrio'', was the leader or chief of a barangay or barrio in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.Scott, William Henry. ''Barangay Sixteenth-Cen ...
*
Legislative districts of Manila The highly urbanized city of Manila is currently represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines by its six congressional districts. Every three years, each district elects one representative who will sit on their behalf in Congres ...
. representation in the House of Representatives *
Manila City Council The Manila City Council ( Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Maynila) or the city's legislature is composed of 38 councilors, with 36 councilors elected from Manila's six councilor districts (coextensive with the Legislative districts of Manila ...


References

{{Mayors of Manila Mayors
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
Politics of Manila